The Columbus Youth Football League season is right around the corner for the 11-to-13-year-old Fort Benning Bengals, and that means practice, practice and more practice, Bengals head coach Lee Obie said.
The team began conditioning in mid-August and has been training eight hours a week to prepare for the season. During conditioning, the team does everything from learning and executing plays, and doing drills to running and stretching.
“We make the conditioning intense on purpose, so when regular season begins, the team is ready for it,” Obie said.
In the process, Obie said he tries to instill physical and mental endurance, discipline and heart in the team. The number of players has grown to 32 since 2009, which is twice the size of last year’s team. Four players return from last season’s squad.
“We have a lot of kids who either PCSed or went to high school, so we are having to build a new team,” Obie said.
Thirteen-year-old receiver Anthony Bracken is one of the new players on the team.
“We have a good team — we work hard and have a lot of talent,” he said “And we are like a big family.” Obie said while there is a lot of talent on the team, there is still a lot of work that needs to be done. “They have the talent to play, but emotionally, they have to get their heads in the game,” he said.
Obie tells his players to play every quarter like it’s the fourth quarter.
“We tell them that so they work hard throughout the game, instead of waiting until the fourth quarter to make up for missed plays,” he said.
The Bengals got off to a bumpy start Sept. 8 during a scrimmage game against the Phenix City Titans, losing 21-0, but Obie said he looks at it as a learning experience.
“Now we know what we need to work on between now and the season (opener),” he said. Billy Cuellar, 13, a returning player and a team captain, said the team wasn’t ready for the scrimmage game, but it will be ready by the time the regular season gets here.
“I am excited about the season,” he said. “I’m looking forward to winning more games than last year. As long as we work hard, stay disciplined and focused, we’ll do well.”
The Bengals will play the Northeastern Packers in a one-quarter scrimmage game at 6:40 p.m. Saturday at A.J. McClung Stadium during the Columbus Youth Football Opening Day event. Tickets are $5.
